Crazy Overloaded Vehicles in Thailand

Travel anywhere around Thailand or any other part of Southeastern Asia and you will undoubtedly come across a number of small vehicles, including motorcycles and mopeds, which are ridiculously overloaded. It is a scene most Europeans and Americans stop and stares in at in amazement as its laws dictate that road vehicles cannot, under any circumstances, be overloaded so the point where the freight the vehicle is carrying becomes a danger or hazard to other road users. So such laws in Thailand are either non-existent or simply relaxed. The same situation on the roads in other Southeast Asian countries exists, such as in China, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia.

The Overloaded Family Motorbike

Sometimes it is not uncommon to witness a whole family of the father (usually driving) with four children on a motorcycle, with the youngest and smallest child sitting on the tank and three children as pillion passengers on the back seat. But it’s not just people that the motorcycles will take but goods and freight too, much of which hangs precariously on the back seat looking like it will all tumble off at any moment.

Whilst it would be easier for the family of five to travel in a people carrier rather than a two-stroke motorcycle, not everyone in Thailand can afford a vehicle much larger than a small moped and 50cc motorbike. It’s also the only way many could afford the cheaper two-stroke fuel that will keep the bike running all day on a full tank.

The pick-up truck above is an everyday typical scene in Thailand. The cars over turn all the time causing carnage on the roads. There are more images like this one at www.gogoflorsit.com who has an extensive gallery of Thai floral images as well.

The Village Shop on a Motorbike

In Thailand there are a number of street vendors and hawkers who sell food straight from a market stall. Invariably these stalls are mobile and perch on a motorbike or a tricycle. Imagine riding around all day on a tricycle pulling a small kitchen around with you. Some of the overloaded motorcycles have boxes of beer or foodstuffs piled four or five high on the back seat. These motorcycles are often overloaded with two more cases acting like panniers which sit at the side of the back wheel.

The suspensions on the motorcycles do inevitably suffer as do the pick up trucks and cars that attempt to carry a full three-piece suite or a fridge, cooker and washing machine at the same time. It is not uncommon for a household to move the entire contents of a home on the back of a small pick up or truck, and it is a site to behold in Thailand for sure.